Missouri State holds off Illinois State at MVC Tournament. Sets up a showdown with Wichita State on Saturday

Missouri State Bears Jarmar Gully reaches in on Illinois State Redbirds Paris Lee in the first half of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on March 7, 2014. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Missouri State freshman Austin Ruder matched his career-high with 21 points as the fourth-seeded Missouri State held on for a 53-48 win over fifth-seeded Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The Bears (20-11) face top-seeded and second-ranked Wichita State (32-0) in the semifinals.

Ruder hit a three-pointer with 2:05 lead to put the Bears ahead 48-46. After a miss by the Redbirds (16-15), Keith Pickens had a tip-in to make it 50-46 with 42 seconds remaining. The Bears made 3 of 6 free throws down the stretch to help seal the victory. The Bears shot under 33%, making just 18 of 55 shots.